Software & Digital Solutions

Machine tool builders, tool suppliers and software developers now deliver technology that makes it possible for CNC operators to set up jobs in minutes rather than hours, and deliver parts in days instead of weeks.

The April 2017 Machine Technology column in Cutting Tool Engineering magazine covers tabletop equipment for sharpening cutting tools.

Spring Technologies, Boston, which offers CNC software solutions, in April announced that it had joined AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, which represents and promotes U.S.-based manufacturing technology and its members.

The goal of machine shops is to cut parts, not to design fixtures. Although necessary, the task drains resources without providing additional revenue. That's why SpaceClaim let's machinists and manufacturing engineers utilize existing CAD data to create tooling and fixtures in little to no time, minimizing costs and maximizing machining output.

In the machine shop of the future, a digital thread will weave through the pre-, in- and post-machining processes. Prior to machining, those processes include design, process and operations planning, and production logistics. After machining, part verification and outbound logistics enter the picture.

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) sees cyber security awareness and prevention in manufacturing as an emerging challenge and competitiveness issues that manufacturers are facing. In response, NCMS has released a new whitepaper, written by Senior Vice President Rebecca Taylor, "Balancing Productivity and Security: The New Cybersecurity Challenge for Manufacturers."

In the 1987 movie "Wall Street," the archetypal corporate villain Gordon Gekko memorably argues that "greed is good"—and that the bottom line is the only good a dutiful company need pursue. Thirty years on, Ethisphere Institute has announced 124 companies spanning five continents, 19 countries and 52 industry sectors as the 2017 World's Most Ethical Companies honorees. Of these, four are in the category of Industrial Manufacturing: 3M Co., Deere & Co., Milliken & Co. and Timken Co. Kennametal Inc., Latrobe, Pa., is the only honored company in the category of Machine Tools and Accessories.

Sources tell Reuters that Plex Systems Inc, a privately held U.S. maker of software used to run manufacturing plants, is exploring a potential sale that it hopes will value it at more than $1 billion, including debt. The move comes as the world's largest industrial companies, from General Electric Co. to Siemens AG, seek to snap up software assets to modernize their manufacturing processes, improve their supply chains and cut costs.

HEIDENHAIN's popular control magazine for customers and manufacturers is titled Klartext and is available as an app for mobile devices. This Klartext app was developed to increase worldwide circulation, make it available to a wider group, as well as provide easier and mobile access to a wide variety of industry-leading information about CNCs for the manufacturing industry as provided by HEIDENHAIN.

The U.S. manufacturing industry is rushing to embrace technology as a critical part of its processes and plans to make new technological investments in 2017, but barriers to Industry 4.0 adoption still exist, according to Automation Alley's 2017 Technology Industry Report. According to the report, 85% of national manufacturing executives said their company plans to increase budgets for technological advancements; nearly a third of them plan to increase their budgets by 10% to 15%.

One roadblock for parts makers to begin implementing Industrial Internet of Things technology is psychological: Implementation sounds like a big, time-consuming undertaking. It can be, of course. But a good way to start might be to take about 20 minutes and fire up Smart Attend, an all-in-one manufacturing-facility communication system from Smart Attend Inc.

CNC machine tools only generate revenue when they are producing good parts. The more good parts they make, the quicker the return on investment for machine tools. To maximize output, the total per-part machining time, including preparation, must be minimized.